What a superb way to go out... Hoy and Pendleton light up Velodrome

Two tearful Olympic goodbyes as one great Briton was treated to a perfect ending and another narrowly missed out on hers.

Sir Chris Hoy was crying before he was even up on the podium to celebrate his gold in the keirin while Victoria Pendleton's tears were of relief, despite coming second in the individual sprint to her Australian rival Anna Meares.

'What a way to go out,' said six-time gold medallist Hoy, who now has more golds than any Briton in Olympic history. 'I couldn't have asked for more than that. You might have seen the emotion on my face when I got on the podium. I'm in shock. I'm trying to compose myself and take it all in.

Tear we go: Hoy struggled to maintain his composure after stepping on to the rostrum to claim his gold medal

'This is surreal - it is what I always wanted. I saw everyone stepping up to the plate and wanted to do the same. I couldn't hold the tears in, even before the podium. It has been the most unbelievable experience of my life.'

The noise inside the Velodrome was the loudest it has been all week as Hoy crossed the line first ahead of Germany's Maximilian Levy.

'People talk about the burden of expectation but it couldn't be further from the truth,' he said.

Guard of honour: Hoy won his sixth Olympic gold medal on Tuesday to the delight of the home crowd

'For us it was this big hand pushing you along the track. You feel this energy you get from the crowd and that helped me on that last bend and on that last straight.

'We never dreamed we could match Beijing but this is way more special. 'In China you're not aware of everything that's going on. Here you see it every day, the thousands of people, the Stadium, the flame is there 24/7. I'm so fortunate to have experienced a home Games. Hopefully the British team's performance will inspire young people to realise sport is an amazing thing.'

Hoy has always been adamant that these would be his last Games but Sir Steve Redgrave, whom the Scot passed last night to hold the record for most Olympic gold medals, feels the 36-year-old is good enough to carry on.

Silver service: Pendleton fell short in her quest for a second gold medal at the London Olympic Games

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'Chris has the capability - he's still a young man in my eyes. He's on top of the world at the moment and he can carry on for the next four years if he wants to.'

That seems very unlikely, although Hoy admits he wants to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

'That's the plan but if the training is hard I'll just have to wait and see what my body allows me to do.'

For Pendleton, cycling will certainly not be on the agenda, her next move likely to be on the floor of Strictly Come Dancing.

Coming together: Pendleton is disqualified in race one after this move

'I feel relieved,' said the 31-year-old, who lost her best-of-three sprint duel with rival Meares 2-0 after she was disqualified from the first race for illegally crossing the red sprinters' line in the final straight.

'I'm overwhelmed with relief right now. It's been the hardest four years of my entire life, dealing with the pressure of going in as Olympic champion and trying to maintain that in the meantime. I couldn't go through it again. You could pay me a million or a billion pounds and I'd say, "No thank you".'

Pendleton did, however, feel aggrieved at her disqualification, the second time it has happened during these Games, the other being during the team sprint with Jess Varnish.

Upset: Pendleton is consoled by a Team GB coach

'I thought Anna bumped into me and it may have caused me to move out,' she said. 'When you're going at that speed, your balance is easily thrown. It did upset me. I was a bit p***** off about that, I must admit. I was really annoyed. I can't believe that twice in one competition I have been disqualified and relegated. It is unheard of.

'But I would have taken gold and silver before the Games. People have been asking me for four years solid how many medals I was going to win and what my ambition was. I said to get on the podium at least once and a gold and silver is a bit more than that. So I'm satisfied.'

So what next for one of the most famous women in British sport? 'I'm going to spend time with my family and friends. I can't wait to see my mum because she's had laryngitis. I've been steering clear of her so I didn't catch anything.

'I'm really close to my mum so I'm looking forward to spending time with her and my new nephew Nathan, who is 10 weeks old. I just want to have a normal life.'

You get the feeling that is something neither cyclist will ever have.

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Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton - what a superb way to go out - London 2012 Olympics